The Kansas City, Kansas, Municipal Court will resume in-person court hearings on June 15, according to a news release from the Unified Government.
All court hearings will be by appointment only, and dockets will be limited in size to comply with the safety guidelines issued by the Wyandotte County health officer, according to a spokesman. The court will also begin setting appointments for limited in-person customer service on the same date.
Court cases previously scheduled during the shutdown will be slowly rescheduled for a new appointment date. Defendants, victims and witnesses will be notified individually.
“The Court has made decisions regarding how and when to reopen with the priority given to the safety of our citizens and employees. To do this, we will be measured and strategic in scheduling court cases, probation check-ins and customer service,” said Crystal Sprague, court administrator, in the news release. “Because we recognize that this approach could cause some delay for citizens, we have launched remote hearings and increased online services. We hope that instead of waiting or coming up to City Hall, folks will explore doing business remotely and call us for help.”
Citizens should be prepared before they report for a scheduled appointment.
Any citizen entering the City Hall Building will be subject to COVID-19 symptom and temperature screening. Everyone will be required to wear a face covering to enter the City Hall Building and during interactions with Municipal Court staff. The court’s activities will be conducted to comply with social distancing rules. Municipal Court staff is required to wear face coverings and practice social distancing.
If you do not have an appointment, call before you make the trip to City Hall to ensure you will be seen, a spokesman stated.
Several services provide access to the court remotely and when possible, you should use these methods to prevent having to come into the office, according to the spokesman.
These services include paying a ticket, applying for traffic diversion, requesting a remote hearing, checking your court date, updating your contact information, providing a document, requesting certified court records, requesting assistance with a suspended driver’s license, and requesting one-on-one customer support by phone or email. To contact Municipal Court, email [email protected] or call 913-573-5200.
“The health and safety of our citizens and staff is our number one priority. We are fortunate to have the technology to offer many services by phone, video, or online while we are closed and look forward to building new relationships with our customers through this technology,” Judge Brandelyn Nichols-Brajkovic, administrative judge, said in the news release. “We plan to keep many of these new options after COVID-19 in order to add ease and convenience in accessing our court. We hope that our new options help ease some stress during an already stressful time.”
To contact Municipal Court, email [email protected] or call 913-573-5200. To learn more about Municipal Court services, visit wycokck.org/Municipal. To learn more about the county’s COVID-19 response, visit wycokck.org/COVID-19.
Wyandotte County reported 1,272 positive COVID-19 cases at 11:55 a.m. Tuesday, and 72 deaths. (From UG COVID-19 webpage)
Anyone from Kansas who traveled to the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, over Memorial Day weekend and did not use protective measures should voluntarily self-quarantine for 14 days, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Photos of large crowds not wearing masks and not socially distancing at pool parties and bars at the Lake of the Ozarks over the holiday weekend have been widely published throughout the nation, sparking reaction from health officials.
Known as a vacation spot for Kansas City area and St. Louis area residents, the Lake of the Ozarks attracted large crowds over the holiday weekend.
Today, the Kansas secretary of health urged people who traveled there without using protective measures such as masks and six feet of social distancing to self-quarantine.
“The reckless behavior displayed during this weekend risks setting our community back substantially for the progress we’ve already made in slowing the spread of COVID-19,” Dr. Lee Norman, KDHE secretary, said in a news release. “If you traveled to Lake of the Ozarks over the weekend, we urge you to act responsibly and self-quarantine to protect your neighbors, co-workers and family.”
While Lake of the Ozarks is not currently on the Kansas mandated travel list, KDHE urges those who traveled over the Memorial Day weekend to self-quarantine for 14 days upon return to Kansas, according to the KDHE statement.
At a news conference Tuesday morning from the University of Kansas Health System, Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control at KU Health System, said his first reaction was that the gathering at the Lake of the Ozarks was irresponsible.
There are ways to be social with families, and that includes being outside with social distancing, he said.
“We know that COVID likes to find susceptible hosts. We know it’s very easy to spread from one person to another when there are people close to one another. So that’s a very concerning aspect,” he said.
Dr. Hawkinson said he thought self-quarantining for those who attended crowded swimming parties was a good request. He said personal responsibility for that part might not happen.
“That is why, moving forward, especially wearing masks will be important,” Dr. Hawkinson said, especially if people are presymptomatic and asymptomatic. Masks will help cut down risk if people are not going to be self-isolating and self-quarantining, he added.
Contact tracing will be important, he said. Some county health departments have been overwhelmed and have a lack of resources, he added. In addition, what’s important will be the ability to get tests and test people who are presymptomatic, asymptomatic or have symptoms, he said.
Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer for the KU Health System, said for people who were there, the way they can keep other people safe now is to wear a mask. If they’re around others, they need to make sure people around them wear a mask, he added.
“Hopefully, folks will wake up the day after and think, maybe I didn’t make the best choices right then,” Dr. Stites said. “And then they’ll take it a little more seriously.”
When people go home and are around their parents and grandparents, those relatives are the ones who are going to be at risk, he said. There may be deaths in the younger population, but it’s concentrated in the older population, he added.
Dr. Hawkinson said even if only 2 to 5 percent of the population have COVID-19, if there 2 to 5 percent are in that crowd, it can spread exponentially.
“I don’t think the sun, the pool and the alcohol are going to prevent the spread of the virus,” Dr. Stites said.
The doctors also discussed reopening the University of Kansas campus and restarting sports, and what would be necessary to do that.
Dr. Douglas Girod, KU chancellor, said at the news conference that they are planning to reopen slowly and safely. Some really large gatherings of people may not be able to happen, he said.
They are making plans for reopening, but he said they realize those plans can change from week to week, based on new information that becomes available. They are planning to reopen in a safe way.
Dr. Girod said KU is ramping up its capability for testing on campus. Contact tracing will be important particularly in the dorms, he said.
The university plans to open face-to-face, he said, but if something happens in the fall like what happened in the spring, they might have to shift again. The university used remote learning in the spring.
Jeff Long, KU athletic director, said at the news conference that they have a timeline for reopening. Although it is all subject to change depending on circumstances, they are planning to let the first group of student athletes return to voluntary workouts at KU facilities on June 15; the rest of fall sports on July 1; and men’s and women’s basketball students on July 15.
When student athletes return, they will be wearing masks, he said.
Dr. Stites said that people may just be tired of staying at home and want to go back to normal, but it is not the time for events such as swimming parties. He recommended that people wear a mask, stay six feet apart from others, cough in their elbows and stay home when sick.
Dr. Hawkinson reported 20 COVID-19 patients at KU Health System on Tuesday, down from 24 on Friday. There were six patients in the intensive care unit, with three on ventilators, he said.
The Wyandotte County COVID-19 webpage today reported 1,272 cases, at 11:55 a.m. May 26. There were 72 deaths, up from 1,255 cases reported Saturday. There was one more death than Saturday.
Attempted aggravated robbery was reported at 2 a.m. May 25 in the 1100 block of Scott Avenue, according to a social media report by the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department.
A suspect pulled a gun and pointed it at the victim, the report stated. The suspect made demands and then fled, according to the report.
Aggravated robbery reported
Aggravated robbery was reported at 4:20 p.m. May 25 in the 4400 block of Shawnee Driver, according to a social media post by the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department.
A victim stated the suspect pulled out a gun and demanded the victim get out of the vehicle, according to the report.
The suspect fled with the vehicle, the report stated.
Aggravated indecent liberties reported
Aggravated indecent liberties was reported about midnight, according to a social media post by the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department.
Shooting into occupied home reported
A shooting into an occupied home was reported about 6:46 p.m. May 25 in the 2100 block of Scott Avenue, according to a social media post by the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department.
The victims were inside the home when an unknown suspect shot at the house, the report stated. There were no injuries reported.
Robbery reported
A victim said a suspect hit the victim and forcibly took property from the victim at 7:20 p.m. May 25 in the 5500 block of Leavenworth Road, according to a social media post by the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department.
The victim had minor injuries, according to the report.
